Company History

James Leonard Davis (born 1894) registered as a surveyor in 1920, and worked as a surveyor and insurance assessor around Canterbury.  In 1932 he founded the business J. L. Davis Registered Surveyor and Claims Assessor  with an office in the old Yorkshire Insurance building (now Shades). In 1944 Davis' son, Michael Davis, also a surveyor, joined the firm and then in 1960, Gavin Ogilvie established the structural and civil engineering facet of the company.  The company became J L Davis Son Ogilvie and Associates which was soon altered to Davis Ogilvie and Associates as the older cohort retired and other senior staff were included in management. 

The business became Davis Ogilvie and Partners Ltd  in 1987, and has expanded over recent years by amalgamation with established practices in other regions of New Zealand.  Cowan and Holmes in Timaru and Greymouth and Gourdie and Ward in Nelson are now included in Davis Ogilvie and Partners Ltd.

The original Davis and Ogilvie have long since retired, and throughout the combined histories there are links with many respected members of the engineering and surveying professions who have left their marks on their communities - Ken Frizzell, Arthur Farrant, Ron Carbines, Kit Iverson, Reid Cowan, Len Holmes, Ian and Hugh Gourdie, Paul Regnault, Tony Handisides, John Kelmar, Peter Yeoman and Alan Fazackerley - the company continues in their business tradition of providing high quality land development services.

Davis Oglivie and Partners Ltd. now provides its professional land development services in Chirstchurch, Nelson, Timaru and Greymouth.